Rowan women’s soccer upset the nation’s best on Wednesday night, winning, 2-1, in an absolute thriller over No. 1-ranked Messiah at the Rowan Soccer and Lacrosse Complex. The win for the Profs was their second against a ranked opponent this season.
The now No. 17-ranked Rowan Profs became 9-1 on the year after defeating an 11-0 Falcons side that had won 28 of their previous 29 matches dating back to last season.
“We got a bunch of gamers on our team,” head coach Scott Leacott said. “The game is not decided before the game, so they could be the No. 1 team in the country, they could be the national [champions] … but you got to come out and compete, and that’s what our kids did tonight.”
The Profs came out of the gate with immense energy, but Messiah was never going to be an easy task. The Falcons struck first in the 26th minute, when a shot inside the box chipped over the stretched leg of Rowan keeper Leah Edinger, who saw the ball reach the bottom right corner of the netting.
It seemed as though Messiah had controlled possession and the pace of play entering halftime, taking four shots to Rowan’s two and taking a 1-0 lead. The Profs needed answers fast when recognizing the defensive stardom of the Falcons, with the team having only allowed a single goal prior to kickoff.
As the second half began, sophomore Angela Oliveto charged into the box, having her first shot blocked at the near post and a second chance effort knocked away for a corner. Olivia Giordano’s cross found senior Elaina Corson for her second goal of the fall, whose header went off the right glove of Messiah’s keeper and into the net. The Profs were right back in it through 49 minutes of play.
“We gave them too much respect and we kind of sagged back in the first half,” Leacott said. “In the second half, we kind of went at them and made them play defense, which tired them out.”
In this back-and-forth battle, Rowan continued to perform up to Messiah’s level, which gave way to the fixture’s most defining moment.
In the 68th minute of action, Cali Sloan booted a long ball into the box with Giordano in the area. After taking a big bounce, Giordano realized it was soaring over the head of Messiah’s keeper, who then tapped in the game-winning goal for the Profs in heroic fashion to make it 2-1. Giordano now has a team-leading nine goals this season.
“Honestly, at that point I was going to run the keeper over,” Giordano said.
Rowan’s back four closed out the game with MaKala Baker starring on the night, blocking shot after shot, which included a denied open netter.
“I just wasn’t willing to let a goal go in,” Baker said.
The Profs are now winners of five straight, with future aspirations growing following the result of a season-altering win over the Falcons.
“This just means going forward, we can win a national championship,” Giordano said. “We are going to take this farther than we have ever taken it before because we have the team to do it.”
Rowan women’s soccer now turns back to New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play this Saturday when they host William Paterson. The Profs are atop the NJAC standings with nine points as they enter their remaining six games of the season, all being within conference.
“In the whole scope of things, it’s an awesome win, but it’s a regular-season win,” Leacott said.
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